Platinum-based therapeutics form a cornerstone of treatment for solid tumor malignancies. Cisplatin is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents against many forms of cancer including testicular cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancers, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (Jamieson et al., Chem Rev., 1999, 99:2467-2498). Despite the extensive use of cisplatin in oncology, this drug is associated with significant dose-limiting toxicities including nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity (Dhar et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 2011, 1850-1855). Significant efforts have been devoted to developing new strategies for safer and more effective platinum-based therapeutics.
Targeting controlled release polymer systems (e.g., targeted to a particular tissue or cell type or targeted to a specific diseased tissue but not normal tissue) is desirable because it reduces the amount of a drug present in tissues of the body that are not targeted (e.g., healthy tissue). This is particularly important when treating cancer where it is desirable that a cytotoxic dose of the drug be delivered to cancer cells without killing the surrounding non-cancerous tissue. Effective drug targeting can reduce the undesirable and sometimes life threatening side effects common with many anti-cancer therapies. Controlled release polymer systems can be designed to provide a drug level in the optimum range over a longer period of time, thus increasing the efficacy of the drug and minimizing problems with patient compliance.